Kids 'addicted' to fast food app

Hungry Jacks was singled out for "Encouraging a young audience to consume unhealthy food any time" via a simple shake of their phone. Picture: Supplied Source: news.com.au

DIETITIANS are pushing to ban a smartphone app that dishes out free hamburgers and fries at Hungry Jacks restaurants, saying children are becoming addicted to the promotion and are putting their health at risk.

Since the "Hungry Jacks Makes it Better" app was launched five months ago, doctors have reported seeing children and teens who have become "addicted" to it, with one Sydney dietitian reporting a morbidly obese 15-year-old patient using the app every day to score discounted food.

Paediatric dietitian Jessica Lee, of Brisbane child obesity clinic CHOC4Kids, this week launched an online petition to ban the app which she describes as "appalling".

"The reason kids end up morbidly obese is over-consumption and the big food industry, like Hungry Jacks, they push over-consumption through promotions like this," she said.

"Most children have phones now, especially teenagers and adolescents, and it's the excitement that it's an app - they love that electronic stuff. So if they keep getting these apps that give free food they're going to keep using it."

The free app, which is available on both iPhone and Android, displays vouchers for free or discounted food when users shake their phone at any Hungry Jacks location.

Vouchers expire after 20 minutes, or when they are marked as redeemed by a staff member, and users are only allowed to redeem one voucher at the same restaurant once every 10 hours.

However Sydney dietitian Caroline Trickey said a morbidly obese 15-year-old patient, who used the app every day, had been using vouchers repeatedly in a single visit, sharing them with friends because busy staff members often forget to reset them when they are redeemed.

"He had been seeing me for his obesity but not losing weight, and it wasn't until the last consultation when I discovered that he has this app on his phone," she said.

"He was using it every single day with friends - they'd all walk home together and unfortunately they'd go near a Hungry Jack's store and all five of them would get their phones out and shake them and invariably one of them wins something.

"What often happens is that the staff member forgets to reset the phone, so one will hand his phone to his mate and he'll get a freebie as well."

In an emailed statement a spokesperson for Hungry Jacks said the fast food chain "does not have children as part of its core target audience", and the app was not aimed at children.

However Dietitians' Association of Australia spokeswoman Lisa Renn said the app was still irresponsible, as teenagers would certainly be attracted to use it.

"When we talk about children we inlcude adolescents, and certainly most adolescents have a smartphone and are into apps like that," she said.

"We know that developing an overweight issue in adolescence carries through into adulthood, so while the app may not be targeted at primary school-age children, adolescents will still definitely be targeted, and it's still irresponsible."

Last month the app was "shamed" in the Parents' Jury's annual "Fame and Shame" awards for sneaky marketing of unhealthy food to children and encouraging pester power.

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